Friday Favorites

Five things I'm loving this week:

{one}
I know I'm late to the game, but I joined Goodreads and set a 2016 reading goal. So much fun! Anyone who knows me knows that I don't need help reading more books, but I DO need help documenting all the books I read and this is perfect! Not to mention, the button you press to indicate you've finished the book is very gratifying to this Type A list maker. My goal is a little ambitious this year (50 books), especially because life is pretty unpredictable in this season, but I think it's possible. There is way more hidden time to read in day then we think. 

Don't get me wrong, I love to have fun, but this sweatshirt belongs in my drawer!

Speaking of reading, I love that with some extra time before school this morning, Abby decided to curl up on the couch with a book and read out loud. Then, she sat next to Juliet and read the story to her. She kept looking up from the book with confused look on her face saying, "I know what I'm reading, Mommy, but what is a Zane? What is a Gook? Dr. Seuss books are a little strange." 

{two}

I got our girls these journals for Christmas and they are definitely one of our favorite finds. What a sweet way to help them learn how to make space in their day to reflect, read God's word and apply it to what's going on in their hearts. Ella (3) is a little young, but likes answering the questions when we ask her and coloring pictures about her day.

{three}
This week was sleep deprived and challenging. Some of it was life with an infant. Some of it was nightmares. One night I was up from 2-5:30 with all three kids in rotation. It made for some rough mornings, some bad attitudes and lots of coffee, but in some of my desperate moments, the Lord reminded me of the sweetness of it all. I asked for His help and He made me more aware of the gift it is to spend my days loving these little girls (including loving them in the middle of the night when I'd rather sleep). As I sensed him changing my attitude, I started to notice one of my other "favorites" this week. I started noticing all of the little girl "fingerprints" you find throughout our house at all times. Of course, sometimes it simply translates into a big mess, but how long will my girls be little and building doctor's offices that take up the whole living room? Or leaving piles of Legos on the table for days? Or wanting to bring their babies with them everywhere we go? As much as I want more sleep, I also want this to last forever. Evidence of their little lives all around me is one of my favorites! 

 

{four} 
We are loving this book as a family. Like the Jesus Storybook Bible and Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Celebration of Christmas (more faves), the author does a great job of tying the Bible stories our kids know so well to Scripture's overarching message of God's plan to redeem His people. Reading it with our girls has stirred my heart with the Gospel and created some great discussions!

{five} 
Pandora station I've been loving: Anthem Lights  

This weekend, I have to get the details in order and shop for my favorite six year old's birthday party. We're partnering with Pley to throw a Lego themed party this year! How is it only one week until my first baby turns six? :)


Linking up with:

Momfessionals and www.tabanderika.blogspot.com for Friday Favorites  

 September Farm for Oh Hey Friday

 A Liz Adventures for 5 on Friday 

 

Word of the Year: Enjoy

It's 2016! I can't start this new year without reflecting on this past year. Even though I can't really remember how I got through much of the day to day, I can look back and see how God's grace has marked our year with so many amazing memories. Some parts were harder than others. Some parts were filled with so much joy we thought we might explode. Each part a reminder of how good God is.

The year kicked off in a blur, when I learned I was pregnant with our third little girl. We were so excited! My first two pregnancies had been really easy, but the combination of being pregnant with two other little ladies to take care of kept me in a fog for many months.

`
The first trimester, pregnancy hormones and some challenging family situations had me worn out!  The year also brought with it some of the greatest battles with fear and anxiety I've ever experienced. Some days I could barely put one foot in front of the other, but in my weakness God reminded me of His strength. On the days, when life kept happening all around me and I felt like all I could do was take the next step, God met me there and helped me enjoy the sweetness of each moment in meaningful ways.

There was hidden blessing in that season because so much of the unnecessary fell away and the time and energy I did have became more focused. Somehow on the days when all I wanted was to nap, I learned how to love harder, listen more and be more selective.

In 2015, our family celebrated life and answered prayers. We celebrated birthdays (I turned 30!) and breakthroughs. We learned some hard, but life changing lessons that continue to help us experience freedom and joy. We soaked up quality family time on some of our favorite family trips yet.

In September, we welcomed our newest little love, Juliet Grace!

The year of 2015 is the year Jesus reminded me of His faithfulness in new and tangible ways. He brought joy, peace and hope to broken places! This year, I want to soak it all up more than ever!

Which leads me to my word for 2016:

Enjoy and choose life! Enjoy my relationships. Enjoy instead of fearing. Enjoy instead of anticipating the future or grieving what is not. Enjoy instead of planning every minute! Enjoying is a choice, isn't it? No matter what our circumstances. A choice that I will make more and more as I'm experiencing the true joy that comes from my relationship with Jesus. I'm ready! :)

Recently, I read the words of another blogger who shared how she wanted to give her children the gift of her words. I love that and feel the same way. It's why I've consistently blogged our family's story for the last six years. So, my hope for this space is the same as it was at the start of 2013. I want to share my story. I also started this blog to embrace who God is and what He has breathed into my life. So...in addition to my story and what God is teaching me, expect to see lots of recipes, book recommendations, ideas for celebrating life, gift ideas and anything that helps us embrace beauty. 

Cheers to 2016! 

with sparkling grape juice, of course!

 "Let's walk into this new year unafraid, because He's already there waiting for us." -Lisa Jo Baker

Email subscribe on the right or follow on Bloglovin' for updates.

I'm linking up with Andrea for Show and Tell Tuesdays!

Summer Reading List 2015

• Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

• From Good to Grace: Letting Go of the Goodness Gospel by Christine Hoover

• Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldredge

• All the Light We Can Not See by Anthony Doerr

• Without You There Is No Us by Suki Kim

• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

• The Secret Lives of Midwives by Sally Hepworth

• Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist

• Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

• Longing for Paris: One Woman's Search for Joy, Beauty and Adventure-Right Where She Is by Sarah Mae

• Things You Won't Say by Sarah Pekkanen

• In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume

• The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel

• Love and War: Find Your Way to Something Beautiful in Your Marriage by John and Stasi Eldredge

• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 

• 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker

What are you reading this summer? 

Currently

loving:

my whimsical Christmas mug from Target. Seriously?! Is this not the cutest? When I saw this reindeer in the store, it made me smile. Now, every time I have a cup of Peppermint Mocha on a dreary gray wintery afternoon, it makes me smile again! 

reading: 

Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids With the Love of Jesus by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick
Make it Ahead by Ina Garten

waiting for: 

the big surprise (early Christmas gift) we have for the girls this week. I'm so excited about seeing the look on their faces when they realize what is going to happen. We're about to make some little girl dreams come true over here folks and it's going to be amazing! 

excited about:

the snow falling outside and the fact that everyone in our house is currently healthy and/or on the mend with antibiotics. That is a big victory for us this week. We are already weary of winter sickness and it is only December.

trying to: 
be really productive (blogging, list making and email writing) to complete my list of goals for the night in the next 30 minutes. Then, I can get over to the couch and curl up next to the Christmas lights with my guy to watch a few episodes of Blue Bloods. We are hooked! Side note: Can we just talk about how much Tom Selleck reminds me of my dad? I'm pretty sure I say it 237 times each episode.  I'm going to create a good split screen picture of the two of them for all of the skeptics.

working on:

plans for my baby's 5th birthday party. Wait...what?!?!?! It looks like it's going to be a Frozen dance party, which is totally Abby. It's going to be perfect.

enjoying:

Unwrapping the Greatest Gift: A Family Celebration of Christmas  

I can't say enough about the way this devotional is taking all of our hearts on a journey toward Jesus and Christmas. I want to buy it for everyone I know.

 

wearing: 

my She Reads Truth tee with a navy blue sweater and my pink and navy plaid scarf. Let's be real. I spent the day in my fleece pajamas cleaning the house and having dance parties with the girls. I got dressed forty five minutes before we planned to leave for dinner at a friends house, only to decide last minute that the roads were going to be bad and it was best to stay home. Yup. Got dressed for nothing. #rewearingcuteoutfittomorrow

planning:

menus for all the fun visitors and celebrations we are going to have here this month. So many decisions...

singing: 

Idina Menzel's new Christmas album and loving her duet with Michael Buble to "Baby It's Cold Outside". This album is definitely a keeper for the collection.

learning: 
my strong need to rely on God and trust his promises and blessings in the "calm" of life, not just the storms.

listening to:

Abby singing "Frosty the Snowman" in her room where she is trying to fall asleep

wishing: 
my brother lived closer to we could have our annual Elf movie night before Christmas

dreaming of: a white Christmas. Oh c'mon...how could I not finish that sentence that way? So, here's to snow, but not too much that it keeps our family and friends from getting here on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

Be You, Bravely

At the beginning of September, I had the opportunity to stand before a bunch of women at my church's women's retreat and share truth with them that has transformed my life. I was thrilled for the chance to share with them my own journey and introduce them to The Significant Woman Life Coaching Course. The course leads women through exercises to help us discover and celebrate how God made each one of us uniquely, while whispering truth over the broken places of our hearts. I stood on the first night and shared part of my story, trusting that there were women in the room that needed to hear it because God wrote it with a purpose.

My life had taught me wearing masks was necessary to hide my reality from others. I spent my days building and protecting my reputation. I lived my life to please people, to show people how good I could be and exceed their expectations of me. I would figure out who you wanted me to be and become that, like a chameleon. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to live a perfect life and never fail. I wouldn't let myself break. I found my acceptance and worth in others and was determined to prove to the world that I had it all together.

When I was fifteen, in a life changing moment, I placed my trust in Jesus Christ and became a Christ follower.  I knew there was something radically different in the truth that was shared with me from the Bible in that moment. My eyes were opened to see clearly for the first time. It was different than the years of religion I'd been taught and it compelled me to love and follow Jesus with my whole life. But, because I didn't know any better, I started transferring those same ways of living to my new life with Christ. I figured out what everyone said a good Christian should be and I worked really hard to try to be that. I was trying to prove myself more than ever before and was determined to fit into the cookie cutter idea of a Christian I had developed in my mind. I was committed to living my life for the Lord, but the masks were still my default. I would wear them without even thinking. I hid the imperfections. This time, I thought I had to prove to the world that I had it all together because I knew Jesus. I still wanted to tell people the good parts of the story. Not let them see too much of my grit. I thought somehow that was what brought God the most glory and honor. 

When I dedicated my life to Jesus, I learned that He calls us to live our lives to please Him. I started changing myself to be who I thought I should be to please God AND others. As a result, I lost bits of myself along the way. Without realizing what I was doing, I was letting other people define me, not the God who created me. What I didn't really grasp is that God is already fully pleased with me because of what Jesus did on the cross for me. 

I've learned that a very big part of pleasing God is becoming and understanding the person he created me to be. Not who others think I should be, but who I am. My personality, my interests and passions, where I come from, my preferences are all things God has used to shape me uniquely. I'm learning to embrace my true self, while simultaneously growing closer to the Lord. And it's fun! It's fun to be me and not a version of what I think I'm supposed to be. There is so much  more freedom and fun in following Christ than I ever dreamed AND the only reason I know that is because God has shown me His grace.

I believed that Jesus came so that I could go to Heaven and Jesus came to show me how to live life the right way, but I was missing one of the biggest parts of His story: His grace in my daily life. His grace didn't just buy me a ticket to Heaven. It's what continues to change my life everyday, allowing me to live a more full, more free and joyful life.  As a child of God, my identity isn't in what I can do or who I can make myself, it's in what He has done for me. When God looks at me, He sees Jesus. I'm fully approved and acceptable in God's eyes as His Child. Nothing I can do will make Him love me more or less. I can't earn it any of it. I relearn that in new ways everyday and I will for the rest of my life. 

Etsy shop: artbyerinleigh

He treasures me completely even when He sees all of my junk completely, so I can let brokenness show. I can be real. He shines through my life more brightly when I am. Jesus came so I can fail and be messy. I don't have to wear masks. Actually, God doesn't want me to wear masks. He wants me to be authentic because it's not my job to write my story for everyone else. He started writing my story before I was ever born. My story is a part of His bigger story. He changes and refines the parts of me that need changing, but God also celebrates the uniqueness of who I am and wants to use that for His greater purposes. 

My story matters. My personality is not a mistake. My passions are unique to me. My interests have purpose. The people He's placed in my life are there for a reason.  All of those life circumstances (good and terribly hard) are significant. Because He created me and my worth comes from Him. I'm His masterpiece. 

I'm learning to invite friends over when my house is messy! I'm learning to share the hardest parts of my life and my ugly sin with trusted friends who will walk with me through it and point me to Jesus. I'm learning to be more real with myself, God and others everyday.  I let it sink in that God is enough and that when He sees me...all broken messy me...He sees His treasure! THAT is life changing.  

Do you buy into the lies that you have to "be something different", "be more", "be less", "get it together", "be better", "do more", "not let them see" or "never talk about that part of your past for fear of what others might think"? If so, hear the truth today! God has so much more for you than that. You are His masterpiece.

Because of Jesus.

There is nothing like standing before a room full of women of all ages and backgrounds and helping them see their worth through God's eyes. When we begin to realize how many lies we believe daily about our significance, and take our first steps toward trusting God to write our story, the whole game changes. There's freedom and power in knowing you are called to be who God created YOU to be! Every unique, quirky, complicated bit of who you are is a part of God's greater plan and purpose for your life and His kingdom. When you know that God's love is not something you can earn, that nothing you could do or be could make him love you more or less, you can stop pretending. Let this truth motivate an authentic life that points to Jesus, all imperfections included.  

I watched women cry and connect over cookies as they were given the freedom to take off their masks and just be real. Every bit of it was messy and beautiful.

Could this shirt be any more perfect? I love love love it!  

Check out this shirt and other fun gems at Be Still Clothing Company.

If you've stuck with me to the end of this post, thank you! I had to finish up by sharing this movie clip with you! It illustrates the idea of  "being you" beautifully. 

You're Beautiful!

Goodbye Summer

With less than a week left of summer, I'm getting a little weepy at the thought of it being over already. Our summer days (and nights) have been filled with friends, family, trips to our favorite places, staying up late, fires in the backyard, lots of swimming and ice cream. We have been busy soaking up all the extra hours of sunshine and choosing to play more...enjoy more. The good news is, as a New Yorker, I love all seasons, so I don't grieve long before I'm lining up for a Pumpkin Spice Latte, burning a "Sweater Weather" candle and going apple picking. As I was thinking through my menu for the week, my mind started swirling with some of my summer favorites. Too good not to share. So, before we say goodbye to summer and welcome fall with yummy soups and pumpkin french toast...here's to one last hurrah for summer!

• Creamy Lemonade Pie
• Paprika Grilled Shrimp Quesadillas
• Cheeseburger Salad
• Tomato Cucumber Salad
• Oatmeal Cookie Peach Cobbler
• Chicken Pear Gorgonzola Salad- Grilled chicken, sliced pears, candied pecans and gorgonzola tossed in a bed of greens with balsamic vinegarette.
• Grilled Pesto and Ricotta Pizza
• Grilled Peaches stuffed with Marscapone, Bacon and Arugula (recipe courtesy of Emily) 

         4 peaches, halved
         1 packed cup arugula
         8 oz. marscapone cheese

         1 tbsp black pepper
         8 slices cooked bacon
Pulse bacon, arugula, marscapone cheese and black pepper in a food processor until chunky. Brush peaches with olive oil and lightly salt. Grill cut side for five minutes. Turn over, spoon on filling, close grill and grill for another five minutes.  

• Caprese any and everything! Fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzeralla cheese and balsamic.  Yes please! Caprese salad, Caprese tomato stacks, Caprese Chicken, Caprese burgers...so many options. 

What are your favorite summer go-to recipes?

Real is the New Black

My junior year of college, my dear friend and roommate, Lyndsey, left a card for me on my computer. In it, she assured me that she loved me and that God loved me. She called me out on my striving. She encouraged me to take my masks off...to stop pretending. I don't remember exactly what it said, but I remember exactly how it made me feel. I bristled as I read it. I was defensive and annoyed as I sat it alone in my room. I chalked it up to Lyndsey not really understanding me, when really God was using her to hit the nail on the head. He was gently whispering His words through my friend. I love you. You are approved by me. Stop striving. Find rest. Take your masks off.

By nature, I am a people pleasing, approval seeking perfectionist. I still remember where I was the first time I ever really saw Galatians 1:10. My heart was twisted up with striving and pain. It was senior year of college. Some of my closest friends had turned against me. Though my boyfriend had just proposed to me and it promised to be one of the most exciting times in my life, I was lying in my bed, feeling totally alone and heartbroken because I was rejected...unapproved. I opened my Bible and God's word pierced my heart.

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)

 In that moment, I understood all at once how my legitimate need for the love, approval and affection of others is too often a substitute for God.

Eight years later, I was in my happy place in Florida. Sunshine, family, swimming and....books! As I read Love Idol by Jennifer Lee Dukes, my spirit was refreshed and my mind was challenged. Basking in the refreshment and peace of vacation, all the noise and busyness of the world stripped away, and I got the message in a new way. For what felt like the first time, my eyes were opened clearly to the heart of a message God has been gently teaching me FOR YEARS.

My life is so much different now, but God hasn't changed. I was floating around the pool as my little girls napped, and once again God met me there. This time, God was using the words of Jennifer Lee Dukes. I realized that these aren't just natural tendencies that needed to change, but for the first time I saw my desire to be loved and approved by others as a deeply ingrained IDOL, something I was devoted to more than God. It wasn't just a people pleasing tendency, but a lack of trust in God and a refusal to see how much He loves me. You see the message never changed, but my ability to handle it did. My readiness to receive it was different this time. I sensed a greater urgency to grasp it at an even deeper level. It was exactly what I needed to hear to take the next step with the Lord and grow closer to Him.

God is so patient with me. He faithfully continues to put the same message before me. Sometimes I'm too stubborn to hear it. Sometimes I'm just not ready to grasp the entirety of it. But, I see it more clearly today than I did yesterday. God continues to give me the grace I need to to see His truth and walk in it. Day by day, situation by situation, I'm learning to focus less on pleasing others and more on pleasing Him. I can rest and be real because I am completely loved, approved and accepted by the only One whose opinion truly matters. Sometimes the process is slow, but God is changing me and leaving His fingerprints all over it. 

There is freedom from the NEED for approval and love from others through a relationship with Jesus. The approval I crave daily is the approval I was given when I placed my trust in Jesus. Because of Christ's death on the cross, I am fully approved, accepted and loved.  My life's purpose isn't to please others. It is to please Him and I will continue to learn how that plays out for the rest of my life!

I always have great intentions of going back through books I've highlighted and underlined and recording the things that struck me, but don't do it as often as I want to. This time I am! My heart resonated so deeply with the author's words. Here are the (LONG) list of quotes that were memorable to me in Love Idol. A record of truth being whispered to me in this season. Maybe it will help you decide whether you want to pick it up or not. If nothing else...some food for thought.

• "Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion"-Brennen Manning

• "In a world of list makers, how can we begin to live only for the Maker's list? In a world that says, 'Climb higher to be noticed,' how can we bow lower?"- pg. 11

• "It would be years before I learned that a woman can scoop up almost everything her little heart desires, while missing out entirely on what her emaciated soul really needs." -p. 17

• "While the goal of the American dream is to make much of us, the goal of the gospel is to make much of God."-David Platt

• "In the grip of the Love Idol, we are also habitually sorry for everything."-p. 22

• "The Love Idol's prey live in fear of failing to meet expectations...We cringe over the threat of disapproval, real or imagined. And we feel as if we continually need to explain away any potential flaw. My life had become a defensive posture against possible criticism." p. 23

• "Why do we always feel empty so soon after reaching some new pinnacle on whatever ladder we're climbing in this life?" - p.27

• "No one in history had more titles than Jesus, or cared less."- Bob Goff

• "We couldn't fully learn until later that our hunger after the American dream could be one way to actually starve." - p. 39

• "Too often in my life, I'd said yes to things I didn't really want to do -- for fear of disappointing someone, for fear of looking like a failure. But sometimes, a woman has to risk her approval rating by saying no." - p.43

• "Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God, your functional savior." - Martin Luther

• "You can never run away from your problems in your maddening search for peace. Peace has never been about a place. It has always been about a Person."- p. 53

• Fear camps out right next to whatever it is you're most called to do. That means the closer you get to your calling, the louder fear sounds...Keep going --- fear is the Chihuahua that sounds like a Doberman. - Holley Gerth

• "I dared her to get a B"- p.65

• "She would find that her mother--and the Lord--approve of her simply because she exists, not because she performed flawlessly."-p.69

• "She risked failing for the sheer joy of trying. My own daughter makes me feel brave, makes me realize that I might be able to risk my own approval rating for the sake of fuller living." - p.71

• "Life trains our brains to resist anything that might make us look stupid. But I don't want fear to be the boss of me anymore." - p.71

• "Because the moment we stop fussing over the opinions of others might be the moment we actually start living for God. Only then can we fearlessly love our neighbors, lead a Bible study, talk into a microphone, pray out loud, stand up for our beliefs, fight for the underdog, speak truth in love, write a book, or take audacious risks for the Kingdom." - p73

• "We're going to have to let truth scream louder to our souls than the lies that have infected us." - Beth Moore

• "That's the modus operandi of the approval seeking perfectionist: Her dreams are kept secret. That way, if I do try something ridiculously brave--like writing a book--but then fail, no one will know the difference. If I try..." p.77

• "But there is a difference between having Scripture memorized and knowing it "by heart". I want my heart to know, so my heart can really live." - p.78

• "It's true: I'm not yet who I'm made to be, for I am still becoming. But equally true is this: I am not the woman I was." p.91

• "But the man who is not afraid to admit everything he sees to be wrong with himself, and yet recognizes that he may be the object of God's love precisely because of his shortcomings, can begin to be sincere. His sincerity is based on confidence, not in his own illusions about himself, but in the endless, unfailing mercy of God." - Thomas Merton
• ^" How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?"- John 5:44
•   "He must become greater; I must become less." John 3:30

• After His grand rescue, the Redeemer does not always seal that hole shut behind us. He does not force us into relationship or bully us into repentance. Instead, He leaves us with a choice: follow Me or fall again. He invites each one of us to "pick up your mat and walk." then Jesus reminds us to "stop sinning" -- in my case, to stop worshipping the Love Idol." p.115

• "The church has done a decent job of welcoming sinners, but it frowns when we don't get better quickly. Or when we fail." p.117

• "Even the most faithful churchgoers hide their faults, which sadly contributes to our approval seeking tendencies. Let's face it: We're all sinners in those pews. But if we're not willing to show our messy sides, why should anyone else?...I suspect that is why churches are filled with approval seeking people pleasers--not only in the pews but in the pulpits. We don't want to admit we struggle, so we keep holding up the facade. Because we can't get over ourselves, and because we can't make peace with ourselves, we try instead to hide ourselves." - p.117

• "And just when I'm getting okay with not being liked, I find out that I'm wildly loved." - p.120

• "There are the times when we visit heaven before we really get there--a sort of scared "trailer" for the movie that's been showing in theaters, for, like, ever. Its proof that what we believe is real--and it's a sign that where we're going is already planted within us." - p.128

• "Heaven speaks to us, whispering the love language of our permanant home into every corner of our temporary one. And I'm learning, and re-learing, to open my eyes to their wonder--to open the shade even when it looks dark outside."-p.128

• "We have told our girls, repeatedly, that trying your best and being The Best are two very different things. We don't expect perfection; we expect only for them to give their full effort. They don't need to earn our love, they already have it." - p.139

• "Real has become our new black." p.143

• "How many people aren't able to fully experience the love of God because they're waiting for proof from a spouse or a friend that they are worthy of love? How many people are living joyless lives of paranoia because they're afraid that the public will see how messed up they really are?" -p.142

• "If the praise of man elates me and his blame depresses me; if i can not rest under misunderstanding without defending myself; if I love to be loved more than to love...then I know nothing of Calvary love."- Amy Carmichael p.144

• "An idol is whatver you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, "if I have that, then I'll feel my life has meaning, then I'll know I have value, then I'll feel significant and secure."- Tim Keller
• ^" But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. " - 1 Corinthians 4:3

• "When you and I no longer rely on the praise or approval for our performance, we find new freedom: We can enjoy affirmation without craving it. Because it has lost it's grip on us." p.149

• "It's my pledge to be obedient, even if it means I might look like a fool. It's my way of telling God and reminding myself--that this life is about God's glory, not mine." - p.182

• The perfectionist's mantra is this: If you can't do it right the first time, don't do it at all. Let your new mantra be this: Do it anyway, even if you fall." p. 189

• "Some of our own sisters are pretending, quite convincingly, that things are "fine, just fine." But they need your hands, squeezing their hands, to let them know that they don't have to pretend anymore."-p.218 (thank you Lynds)
•  "A popular catchphrase has made the rounds through Christian circles: "Be real and authentic." That's what we say--but do we really mean it? Do we make safe places for people to be real in our faith communities? Do you want to see people's 'real'? Wht about when someone's real is mad at God? When their real is ugly? When their real can't stop crying for days, even weeks? When their real is chronic? Do you want people to be real then? If can be hard to be real because we're not convinced that people want to see it. It can be painful to let down the facade in Christian circles. I wish it weren't so, because the Christian people are our people. But it's true. I do wonder, how often have we left fellow Christians with the impression that once they're saved, they ought to get their act otgether and keep it that way?" p.219

• "We tell each other that it's safe to be authentic, but are we making nonthreatening placed for people to be less than perfect?" p.219

• "Any don't pity me on the day I die. For on that day, I will have found the approval I always wanted, and I will know right then, with certainty, that it's the approval I always had." p. 230